The player takes the role of Richard Burton, the nineteenth century explorer. The game begins with a cinematic sequence showing what happens to Burton after he has died – how he comes to enter Riverworld. Riverworld is a real-time strategy game, similar to Microsoft's Age Of Empires. Although Burton is the central character, it is seen from a third-person perspective, and other people within the game can be moved and controlled.

The player takes the role of Richard Burton, the nineteenth century explorer. The game begins with a cinematic sequence showing what happens to Burton after he has died – how he comes to enter Riverworld. Riverworld is a real-time strategy game, similar to Microsoft's Age Of Empires. Although Burton is the central character, it is seen from a third-person perspective, and other people within the game can be moved and controlled.